Canada’s top doctor says increased COVID-19 transmission is “not unexpected” as public health measures ease.
Dr. Theresa Tam says average daily case counts are levelling off across the country after dropping for several weeks.
Speaking during a weekly briefing on Friday, Tam said severe illness trends continue to decline nationally.
“With the average daily numbers of people with COVID-19 in hospitals and in intensive care units in the past week having declined by 11 per cent and 14 per cent, respectively,” said Tam.
Health officials continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation here at home and around the world as they prepare for new variants, she said.
Tam said the BA.2 sublineage of the Omicron variant is increasing across Canada but at a slow rate.
“While evidence suggests BA.2 is more transmissible than BA.1, BA.2 does not appear to be associated with more severe illness in vaccinated populations,” she said.
“However, it is still capable of causing severe disease among people without prior immunity, which underscores the importance of getting up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccines, including a booster if you’re eligible.”
As of March 6 — the most recent data available from Health Canada — 89 per cent of eligible Canadians aged five and older had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 85 per cent had two doses.
In addition, 56 per cent of people aged 18 and older have received a booster shot.
